


lumière, darling

by guitarstrings



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 18:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13105956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guitarstrings/pseuds/guitarstrings
Summary: “Because,” Veronica smiles, squeezing Betty’s hand. “You’re going to decorate the tree with me.”“Wait, are you- you mean-“ Betty falters, at a complete loss for words because Veronica’s really doing all this?In which Betty and Veronica celebrate the holidays together.





	lumière, darling

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from "Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran.
> 
> I wanted to write something holiday-themed for these two lovely girls, and so here it is. Happy holidays to all of you, and I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Also, please feel free to hit me up on [tumblr](https://coolguitarplayer.tumblr.com/). :)

With all the chaos that has been surrounding them, Betty barely notices that the holidays have already arrived. It doesn’t help that her house is devoid of anything and everything that can be considered festive, and neither does the fact that Polly isn’t around this time.

So in between coming home to a cold, empty house and the threat of the Black Hood constantly hanging over their heads, it doesn’t quite sink in with Betty yet. Even the office of the Blue and Gold is bare, as opposed to the other club rooms which have been decorated with painstaking care by their members.  

Well, not that it matters since she’s the only one using the office, anyway.

But Veronica had insisted on buying her a miniature Christmas tree to place on her desk, complete with colorful ornaments and a tiny star sitting on the top. And it’s a wonderful gesture, one Betty appreciates more and more every time she looks at it. 

( _“It’s_ Christmas _, Betty, and I’m not going to let you sit in this dark, drab office without anything to remind you of the holidays,”_ Veronica asserted, and Betty wanted to argue that she doesn’t need anything of the sort because Veronica already lights up the room by just being _here._

But Betty knew better than to try and dissuade her because as stubborn as the both of them are, it’s _difficult_ to make Veronica budge once she’s set her mind on something.

So she caved in, and, unsurprisingly, Veronica had already brought the tiny tree with her, but the grin on her face as she set it down on Betty’s desk was far brighter and far more captivating than the star placed neatly on top.

Veronica just-

Just leaves her breathless and awestruck all the time.)

“Ready to go, B?”

And there it is, there _she_ is, red-painted lips curled up in a warm smile, rich, brown eyes holding hers from across the room that has Betty needing to remind herself to breathe.

“Yeah, I’m good to go,” Betty nods, picking up her jacket and sliding her arms into the sleeves.

She blinks, and when she opens her eyes again, Veronica is no more than a few inches away from her, lower lip tucked between her teeth, eyelashes fluttering as she pats down Betty’s collar. It’s intoxicating, the way Veronica is standing so close to her, the gentle motion of her fingers gliding across her collarbone sending Betty into a dizzy spell.

Then Veronica pulls out a blue-and-black checkered scarf and carefully wraps it around Betty’s neck, fingernails grazing the loose strands of hair along the way.

“It’s cold outside, so I thought you might need one,” Veronica murmurs, face inching nearer to Betty’s. “Blue looks good on you.”

Dazed from the sweet scent of Veronica’s perfume and the sensation of her lips brushing against her cheeks, Betty nods, instinctively leaning forward. Wrapping one arm around her neck and tugging at the end of the scarf, Veronica brings their lips together, soft sighs escaping her as Betty deepens the kiss.

“Betty,” Veronica purrs, Betty is _seriously_ going to lose it if she keeps that up.

“I thought-“ Betty groans, as Veronica nips on her jaw. “-I thought we were leaving.”

“We will, in a bit,” Veronica hums, toying with the hairs on the back of Betty’s neck, voice raspy.

And Betty-

Betty _can’t take it_ anymore. She lifts Veronica up by the back of her knees, guiding her to sit on top of the desk and nearly knocking over the miniature Christmas tree in the process. Giggling, Veronica wraps her legs around Betty’s waist and draws her in, and God, this girl is going to be the death of her.

“We should-“ Veronica tugs on the band holding Betty’s ponytail together, freeing her hair in soft waves around her face. “There, that’s better,” she smirks, tangling her hands in Betty’s hair, mouthing at her neck.

Correction: Veronica Lodge already _is_ the death of her.

Moving her head lower, Veronica grazes her teeth against Betty’s pulse point before moving back up to yank her in for another kiss, mouth hot and insistent.

“Betty-“

It comes out as a gasp this time, and Veronica tilts her head back, one hand grasping the back of Betty’s neck and the other clutching at her jacket.  

“Betty…”

A soft moan, and everything is so _warm._ Veronica’s lips, her breath, the way she says her name, her body pressed up against Betty’s…

 _Veronica_ is so warm and bright and Betty can’t help but drown in her, drown and never want to rise to the surface again.

“Mmm, Betty,” Veronica sighs, tucking her face into Betty’s shoulder, breaths coming out stilted.

(And _God,_ how Betty loves her.

Loves the softness they fall right back into after moments such as this, of Veronica’s quiet laughter in between kisses and- and _everything_ that she is and they are.

Loves how Veronica steals her clothes and even better yet, how she looks wearing them, alluring and inviting and _unfairly_ beautiful.

Loves Veronica for all that she is and all that she does.)

“Let me fix you up,” Veronica laughs, smoothing out the wrinkles in Betty’s jacket and straightening her scarf. “There, perfect.”

(Betty can only think, _perfect,_ as Veronica loops their arms together.)

* * *

 “So let me get this straight, you have a Christmas tree. In your _bedroom_ ,” Betty says incredulously, pushing the cart as she follows Veronica across the aisle filled with decors.

“That’s right,” Veronica nods, eyebrows furrowed as she peruses the items on display.

“But you also have one in your living room.”

“Also correct,” Veronica hums, placing a box of silver snowflakes in the cart. “Why do you ask?”

“Because regular people don’t have Christmas trees in their bedrooms?” Betty points out.

Smirking, Veronica pats Betty’s cheek. “Well, Veronica Lodge isn’t your everyday, ordinary person, is she?”

“No, no you’re not,” Betty says, grinning.

“Now that we’ve established that, you need to choose some ornaments, too.”

Betty blinks. “Okay, but why?”

“Because,” Veronica smiles, squeezing Betty’s hand. “You’re going to decorate the tree with me.”

 “Wait, are you- you mean-“ Betty falters, at a complete loss for words because _Veronica’s really doing all this?_

“I figured we needed a distraction, and I know it feels wrong given everything that’s been happening, but-“ Veronica bites her lip, shaking her head. “-I wanted to do this for you, _with_ you.”

(Of course she did, because Veronica cares, cares so much and she’ll show it any and every way she can.

To other people, it might seem overkill, the things Veronica does for the people she loves. But to Betty, it’s not.

It’s just-

It’s _Veronica_ to go out of her way to take care of others, to do things for others. For _her._

And sometimes, Betty feels like she doesn’t deserve even half of the love Veronica gives her, because she’s much too good, much too warm, much too _bright_ to be with someone who has too many unresolved issues as her.

But Veronica loves her, anyway.)

“Thank you,” Betty swallows, surging forward to embrace Veronica.

_For caring. For loving me even though I don’t deserve this, don’t deserve you._

“For you, B? Always,” Veronica whispers, and Betty can move heaven and earth and reach for and take the stars from the night sky and it _still_ wouldn’t be enough to show how grateful and lucky she is.

(But the way Veronica melts into her arms tells Betty that her being here is more than enough.)

* * *

 

They’re almost an hour in into decorating Veronica’s tree, and Betty had almost forgotten how much fun it was until she hung up her first ornament. And Veronica was right, they both needed to do something fun to distract them and make them forget their worries, if only for a short period of time.

“So this one goes over here,” Veronica mumbles to herself, hanging up a golden, snowflake-shaped décor over a branch. “Aha, there, that looks great.”

Smiling fondly, Betty moves to stand behind Veronica, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“You’re distracting me, Betty Cooper,” Veronica laughs softly, sliding her hands on top of Betty’s, leaning back against her.  

“Is it working?”

“You have no idea,” Veronica breathes, shifting her position to face Betty. “And what about you? Is what we’re doing working?”

“It is, and it’s helping a lot,” Betty admits, watching the shadows dance across Veronica’s face. Dark red lipstick and thick eyelashes stealing the air from her lungs.

“Anything else on your mind?” Veronica asks, pressing her hand to Betty’s cheek.

“Not really,” Betty pauses, kisses Veronica’s forehead. “Just- I’m happy I got to do this with you.”

“I’m glad, too,” Veronica says, sliding her index finger down Betty’s shoulder and to her wrist. “Why don’t we take a break? Want some hot chocolate?”

Betty’s lips twitch upwards. “You read my mind.”

“Okay, wait here. I’ll be back in a bit.” Veronica squeezes Betty’s wrist, flashes her a bright smile before turning to leave.

Betty’s gaze lingers on Veronica’s back as she disappears into the kitchen, then slips past the sliding door to the balcony, leaning against the railings as she takes a look at the world outside of the bubble she’s formed with Veronica.

And it’s amazing, she thinks, how Riverdale can be bright and full of life for the holidays despite the dark and horrible things that have been happening for the past few months. Then again, these people haven’t felt the brunt of the Black Hood’s reign of terror, haven’t had his shadow looming over their heads like a terrible omen.

The soft glow of the Christmas lights and lanterns fill Betty with a hint of nostalgia and longingness for the days when her family had once been truly happy together, a distant memory from what feels like forever ago.

(Memories of her five-year old self, bounding down the stairs in excitement for the presents.

How, when she was ten, she and her parents and Polly would gather in the living room to hang their stockings and decorate the Christmas tree, with the golden star sitting at the top, shiny and bright and breathtaking to look at.

Staying up late and counting down the seconds until Christmas officially arrived, their smiles and laughter filling up the entire house and drifting out their windows.

Until everything started to fall apart when she turned fourteen, and nothing was the same ever again.

Christmas became dark and dreary and their house and everyone in it became quiet.

Quiet and not at all like it once was when she was younger.)

“One mug of freshly-made hot chocolate for my dear, sweet Betty.”

Chuckling quietly, Betty turns to face Veronica, taking the porcelain mug offered to her. She blows on the dark liquid and takes a sip, sighing in satisfaction as it slides down her throat and warms her up.

“Mmm, that tastes great,” Betty says, licking her lips. “Thanks, V.”

“Of course, nothing but the best for my girl,” Veronica winks, bumping hips with Betty.

Betty laughs and sets the mug aside, pulling Veronica into her side.

“It’s peaceful tonight, isn’t it?” Veronica says, scooting closer to Betty.

“Yeah, it’s actually hard to believe with everything that’s been going on…”

“Let’s hope it stays that way, because I don’t want anything to ruin our first Christmas Eve together,” Veronica murmurs, wrapping her arms around Betty’s neck.

Unable to resist Veronica any further, Betty leans in. “I won’t let that happen, either.”

Wordlessly, Veronica draws Betty in and kisses her slow, running her fingertips over her shoulders.

“Betty, I…” Veronica trails off, peering up at Betty through long lashes, fingers lingering over the topmost button of her shirt. “I want to be with you.”

(If Betty didn’t know Veronica, didn’t know how to read between the lines, she wouldn’t understand what she meant.

But thankfully, she _does_ understand. Hopefully as much as Veronica can read what thoughts are running through her head with nothing more than a glance.

_I want to be with you._

How can Betty deny Veronica when she, too, longs for the same thing?)

"I-" Betty takes a deep breath, throat dry. "I want to be with you, too, Veronica."

Veronica smiles, taking Betty by the hand and leading her back inside.

* * *

(Veronica is beautiful, gentle, but at the same time a force Betty can’t bring herself to resist.

And with the way Veronica keeps drawing her back in, Betty doesn’t know how she’s going to stop loving her.)

* * *

 

Betty isn’t aware of how much time has passed since then, not that she cares to know because right now, Veronica is snuggled up against her with her head on her chest and a content and peaceful expression painting her features.

“So,” Veronica starts, glancing up at Betty. “We didn’t finish decorating the tree.”

Betty laughs, rubs Veronica’s arm. “No, no we didn’t.”

“Well, we can continue tomorrow but for now…” Veronica smiles, stroking Betty’s cheek, eyes sparkling and overflowing with affection, shining brighter than any of the lit-up houses Betty’s seen tonight.

(Eyes that light up her whole world, dispelling the darkness inside of and around her, filling her with hope and giving her faith that everything will work out.

Faith that they’ll pull through together, no matter the odds stacked against them.

Faith that her future will hold the same deep, brown eyes looking back at her, much like the way they’re looking at her now – full of warmth and affection and _love._

A future and a sentiment that, hopefully, Veronica shares with her.)

“Happy holidays, Betty,” Veronica whispers, expression fond.

Betty releases a breath and tucks a strand of hair behind Veronica’s ear, murmuring, “Happy holidays, Veronica.”

(And it is, and as Veronica kisses her again, and again, and _again,_ Betty already knows.

Knows that Veronica can see her in her own future, too.)


End file.
